Running is his happy placeironman.com 

Rudy Garcia-Tolsonteamusa.org“His young life began in 1988 with a clutch of challenges. Born with rare multiple birth defects -- leg-crippling pterygium syndrome, a club foot, webbed fingers, and a cleft lip and palate -- Rudy underwent 15 surgeries early in his childhood to correct his deformities. And still he couldn't walk. After an experimental device that had been straightening his legs finally failed, his and his parents' hopes hit bottom". Rudy Garcia-Tolson had a rough childhood but that never stopped him from achieving his goals. He wanted to be like a regular kid with a normal childhood; instead he got an extraordinary one. He ran triathlons and swam in the Paralympics just to feel like a conventional kid. Rudy started his life with deformities and problems but in the long run it only made him stronger. At the age of 5 he had to make a difficult decision between keeping his legs and going through more painful surgeries and therapy or getting a double amputation of the lower legs. He chose to cut his legs off and as a result he is happier, stronger and braver for it. A hero must possess motivation and bravery. To motivate others you have to make a connection in a way that makes others want to make a difference. Bravery is similar but not the same, the only difference is that you need to hold yourself together and do anything to achieve your goal. Rudy Garcia-Tolson possesses motivation and bravery which shows that he is a hero, despite his rough life he still managed to do what he thought was right. He did what was best for him and his family even though he had complications that could have clouded his judgement.

legs don't restrict you from doing what you loveswimmingworldmagazine.comRudy is a hero because he motivates people that have lost a limb by using his motto which is “if people with legs can do it, so can I.” His life is living proof that anyone can achieve anything they want if they set their mind to it. If a person wants something, go get it because if they don’t then someday that opportunity will go away. Rudy has continued to take every opportunity possible just to get his normal life. “Rudy has spoken across the country to groups ranging from Fortune 500 companies to inner city public schools. His blend of energy and humor inspires organizations and individuals to adopt his swim motto, No Legs No Limits, A Brave Heart is a Powerful Weapon, as their new standard of excellence. Rudy shares stories about choosing to amputate his legs at a young age, swimming in the Paralympics, and playing jokes with his prosthetic legs to give motivation for overcoming adversity and reaching peak performance” (“Bio.” Rudy Garcia-Tolson, www.rudygarciatolson.com/#overview). Not only does this prove how Rudy inspires people but he gives them a motive. Some people don’t have the emotional strength to do something once they have lost a big part of themselves. Rudy persuades people from all over the country that even when someone loses their legs for example, they can still achieve anything that they set their mind to. His motto “A Brave Heart is a Powerful Weapon” is an amazing motive because it briefly describes what Rudy did to get himself to where he is now. He chose to be brave and because of it he is a champion and a Paralympic world record breaker. Being a paralympic is hard and it either impacts or clouds people's thoughts. For Rudy it opened up a whole new world that he never saw coming. “Rudy may be the only double-amputee child in the country who can run more than a few steps. By competing in one sport or another almost every weekend, he's become America's leading ambassador for physically challenged children” (COOPER, BOB. "Facing the Challenge." Runner's World, May 2000, p. 84. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A61617764/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=1667ee14. Accessed 7 May 2018). Not having two legs can mentally and physically corrupt a person but not Rudy. He kept his goals of living a regular life above everything he did. This is what lead him to become a leading ambassador as well as his inspiration and bravery. Rudy lost both of his legs at the age of 5 years old so if he can break a world record, so can anyone else. He motivates more people each day just by living and waking up the next morning with a new goal to achieve. Being a motivational hero means people motivate others to be their best self. Rudy does exactly that, he started his life with obstacles and overcame them with the hope that he would one day be a normal person. Rudy will never be a normal person because he is a paralympic champion and a triathlon runner but because he continues to try and show others that there is a lot to come in your life it makes him a better person.

Champion swimmingworldmagazine.comRudy is brave and an overcomer meaning he never gave up and always kept on trying which lead him to winning numerous paralympic games and he is stronger for it, this is what makes him a hero. This shows others that if he can do it, then so can anyone. Many people would think that a person that's missing two legs couldn’t do those things, but with the help of prosthetics Rudy was able to try playing sports and ended up loving them so much he does it for a living. “Last year alone, he competed in 25 road races, 20 swim meets, 10 triathlon relays, and his first solo triathlon… He's been a runner since he was 7. ‘At first it was hard,’ says Rudy, ‘and I fell down a lot.’ At one time his mile and 5K times were 17 and 54 minutes, respectively, but he has since more than halved those times on his new ‘running legs.’” (COOPER, BOB. "Facing the Challenge." Runner's World, May 2000, p. 84. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A61617764/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=1667ee14. Accessed 7 May 2018). Ever since Rudy had surgery he hasn’t missed one opportunity to compete even if it seemed too hard and he never gave up, but one thing he has learned was that nothing is impossible. Rudy’s disabilities from before he had surgery to now showed him that if he sets his mind to it he can achieve anything that someone with legs can do. As soon as he got the chance to complete and play games he took it, now because of it he competes in the paralympics and halving his mile times. He continues to change for the better and motivate others by competing and talking to others around the world about his life and how he overcame all of his obstacles. “In 2008 Beijing Paralympics, when he was 20, he again won the gold medal in the 200 meter Individual Medley event, breaking his own SM7 world record twice in the process. He also won bronze medal in 100m breaststroke SB7… At the 2012 Paralympics in London, he broke the SM7 world record in 200 meter Individual Medley heat… At the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Garcia-Tolson broke his PR (personal record) and gain back the AR (American Record) in 100m breaststroke SB7. In the 200 meter Individual Medley again he broke his PR and won silver” (“Bio.” Rudy Garcia-Tolson, www.rudygarciatolson.com/#overview). Rudy continued to compete even if he had already aced that race. He still races and continues to break his personal records as well as more American world records. Rudy’s childhood made him stronger and each of his trophies represent him growing stronger and stronger. Rudy is his best competitor, he does numerous competitions and beats his records over and over again as well as breaking America's records. He is an overachiever and will continue to be one until he can’t compete as you can tell based off of what he is doing now. He doing as much as he can until it’s too late and he isn’t letting opportunities go to waste. The difference between him and others is that he never gave up and many others would lose hope and think that their life will never be the same but Rudy made sure he would have a chance in having a normal life.

Rudy never stops spreading happiness and inspirationtkt.xosn.comRudy Garcia-Tolson is a 29 year old male who is not only motivational but also brave. It takes a lot for a person at the age of 5 to decide how he wants to spend his life and what its going to look like if he doesn’t make the right decision. He chose to cut off his legs despite the comments people would make or rumors he would hear. He made that decision because that is what was best for him and his future. He did the right thing instead of letting his position cloud his judgement. Rudy began his life with pain and deformities but instead of thinking about negatively he made it into an opportunity to change his life. He made that surgery that cut his legs off a good thing, it took that bad part of his life away and brought him happiness and a chance to make his life normal again. Rudy inspired many people to do everything they can to achieve their goals, even if it meant doing something new or scary. He is an extraordinary person that made a huge difference in his life and others. He started out with 2 useless legs and turned them into an opportunity. He chose to do something very hard but he knew that it would result in a happy ending. Being a hero means to change the world and the people that are in it for the better, Rudy’s story is changing other people's lives. I think Rudy is an amazing person and his decisions are what make him a hero. He chose his path and what he wanted to do, he kept his head high when all hope was lost and he made sure that his goals were always on the right path. This is what makes him a hero and shows who he really is.

Works Cited Page

“Bio.” Rudy Garcia-Tolson, www.rudygarciatolson.com/#overview

COOPER, BOB. "Facing the Challenge." Runner's World, May 2000, p. 84. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A61617764/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=1667ee14. Accessed 7 May 2018

Garcia-Tolson, Rudy and Elisabeth Deffner. "I Have Four Pairs of Legs." National Geographic Kids, no. 356, Dec2005/Jan2006, p. 34. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sch&AN=19150036&site=ehost-live.

Singer, Emily. "Body parts, new and improved: amputee athletes are reaching the point where they can perform as well as their able-bodied counterparts. Someday soon, they may even surpass them." Technology Review [Cambridge, Mass.], Sept.-Oct. 2007, p. 38+. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A168510602/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=694d1d30